Posted on 06/07/2012 6:07:50 PM PDT by DogwoodSouth
Today, many throughout the Catholic Church celebrate a uniquely Catholic feast day: the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, better known by the Latin title "Corpus Christi." Though originally and traditionally celebrated on "the Thursday following Trinity Sunday," in parts of the Church where it is not kept as a Holy Day of Obligation (like here in the U.S.), the feast is transferred to the following Sunday. But in many parts of the world, Corpus Christi is celebrated today. In fact, in many European nations, today is a public holiday.
Tonight, Pope Benedict will preside over the Corpus Christi Mass at the ancient Basilica of St. John Lateran (which is actually the cathedral of Rome, for those of you who care you do remember that the pope is the bishop of Rome, right?). After the conclusion of Mass, he will lead a Corpus Christi procession through the streets of Rome, ending at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
What is Corpus Christi?
Some of you might be a little rusty on your Catholic phraseology. Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a feast day that is uniquely and traditionally Catholic. It is a festive day that is set aside solely to honor our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. (What could be more Catholic than that?) What many may not realize is that the story of the origins of the Feast of Corpus Christi date back many centuries and it includes some unlikely characters: a mystic, a doubter, a pope and a big Dumb Ox.
(Excerpt) Read more at southernfriedcatholicism.com ...
I thought it was a joke:
The Mystic, the Doubter, the Pope and the Dumb Ox walk into a bar...
Well, when you consider that the punch line is "eating his body and drinking his blood," followed by an entire catechism and years of study backed by stern admonishments to convince you that "Corpus Christi" ISN'T about cannibalism, vampirism or black magic...
... a lot of people DO think it's a joke.
But NOT funny.
...Martin Luther ducks.
“Dumb Ox” was a giveaway for St. Aquinas, but the rest of the history was unknown to me, including his liturgy.
Thanks very much for posting.
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